Suicide bomb in Kabul leaves dozens dead and injured

Nov. 20, 2018 / 2:46 PM GMT / Updated 4:20 PM GMT

By Ahmed Mengli

KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber killed at least 43 people Tuesday at a wedding hall, where victims had gathered for a religious event, authorities said.

The people were celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth, a Ministry of Public Health official told NBC News.

At least 80 people were also injured in the attack, officials said.

“A suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside a wedding hall where Islamic religious scholars had gathered to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Mohammad,” Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish told Reuters.

Local police were not asked to provide security, so the bomber easily got inside to target all the gathered clerics and religious scholars, Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid told The Associated Press.

“The victims of the attack, unfortunately, are all religious scholars who gathered to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad,” said Mujahid.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.

But both the Taliban and Islamic State have recently targeted other religious gatherings, claiming event organizers are closely aligned with the government that both oppose.